Wisher don't believe this! She is the "bad influence" my mother always warned me about! I never would have gone through that gate if not for her!
OK I feel a little more relieved that you are willing to tell lots of inappropriate jokes because our conversations in the car when I was up in Maine visiting would make some people blush. Just sayin'... ;-)
Oh, I thought maybe you wouldn't be able to do this with what's going on..are you sure you are ok to do this? Please, get yourself taken care of, and get the rest you need to be well!Thanks Cynthia.
Btw I ordered the materials for the bag for your DH and I am waiting on them to come.
Scg you guineas are so cute. But like Wisher said they won't stay that way for long.
Deb way to go!
Hi everyone
ARRRRGGGHHH! That helped. Just sitting here trying to calm down. I let my girls out this morning, everything was fine tho they were reluctant to come out. I thought it was just because of the snow yesterday, they hate snow. As it turns out, most likely the reason was far more ominous. Anyway, they finally came out with a bit of coaxing and began their day. An hour or so later I looked out the kitchen window and something looked VERY odd in the run (they had been let out into the larger fenced yard area) so I put on my boots and went out to investigate. I didn't need to get very close before I knew what I was looking at and I got a very sick feeling. It was a large, scattered, pile of Mz Dumpling's feathers. I hurried to investigate. No blood, no body. Wait! I also don't hear or see anything else! None of the girls came running to me! No!!! I didn't lose them all!!! I began a panicked search. I looked in the coop, in the greenhouse, I searched the run, inside the fenced yard, then inside the fenced yard again. I stood and stared over the fence looking for "piles" at the same time praying to not see any. One last check in the coop, I forgot to check the nest boxes. Lifted the lid and there were three of my girls, including my Dumpling, looking up at me with terrified eyes. I scooped Dumpling up , held her close, and did a gentle check for any severe damage. Finding none I put her back with her sister and closed the lid. Now for what I did not want to do. One girl, my sweet Patty was not with her sisters and I did not see her in my frantic earlier search so I had no choice but to assume the worst. This time the search was a slow and deliberate scan of the yard. There, behind the wheelbarrow in the corner of the fence was a large pile of, not Mz Dumpling's bright red and white feathers, but of beautiful black ones. My sweet Australorp. My heart sank. But then I noticed what seemed to be a feather here and there leading away and toward the porch. Afraid of what I might find lying behind the woodbox next to the steps, I slowly looked, and there, behind the box and stuffed tightly against the fencing placed to keep critters from under the porch was another pile of feathers, except this pile looked up at me! I called her name and, hearing my voice, she jumped out and up onto the steps! She looked absolutely horrible and I had to grab to pick her up because she was so frightened. As soon as I stuffed her inside my coat, she snuggled in deeper and relaxed, she was safe. I carried her to a bench near the coop and we just both sat there snuggled together for a few minutes. Finally, I opened my coat and she let out a little squeak of complaint (her first sound) but I had to check her over, at least for any serious damage. All I saw was some skin peeled back at the top of her beak where she must have tried to escape thru the fence when she was cornered. No other visible blood so I let that be my exam, for now. I opened the coop door, gently placed her inside. At first she was afraid to move, then slowly she went to the nestboxes and snuggled in with her sisters. I watched and listened to them for a moment, then quietly saying a prayer of thanksgiving, knowing they were all now safe, and closed the door.
By the evidence, I'm beginning to think it's my worst nightmare, a daylight hunting fox. My guess is that the only reason it didn't get my Patty is I interrupted the attack when I came out the door. I now realize that I think I saw it out of the corner of my eye yesterday. Most everything else you can either usually convince to move on or fairly easily trap. Fox just make a game out of outsmarting you.
